The Ohel
In 1837 a highly-respected Hassidic rabbi from Chernobyl fell
deathly ill as he was traveling on religious business.
Rabbi Mordecai Twersky, was passing through Ignatovka when he became
unable to go much further. He chose to die and be buried
in Ignatovka.
His father R. Menachem Nachum Twersky was the second rebbe of the
Chernobyl Hassidic dynasty, and was one of the 3 original rabbis
responsible for the organized spread of Hassidism into the rest of
Europe in the early years of the 19th Century. Mordecai
Twersky, known as the Chernobyler
Maggid, was a published author and was held in high regard
within the ranks of Hassidic leaders. Among his
responsibilities, R. Twersky was responsible for the collection of
large amounts of funds for charity. To the extent that
there were no churches nearby in the village, the site would be an
ideal burial site for the rabbi, as “…the sound of impure bells
won’t disturb my rest in the grave,” according to tradition.
The shrine built to his memory, and known as an ohel, is found at the edge of
what was the old Jewish quarter of the village, overlooking
the nearby river and cultivated fields. It is located south of
the main highway, adjacent the refugee center. The ohel is said to have been not
far from the exit gate of the former Jewish cemetery (See
photo).
This is one of several shrines in this part of Ukraine, venerated
and maintained by present-day Hassidim [1]. The original
shrine was, according to tradition, seriously damaged by German
military units during WW2. A mayor of the town Vinnitsa
underwrote the cost of rebuilding the shrine in 2000
[2].
NOTES:
[1] Tzadikim Graves in Ukraine,
http://jewua.org/tzadikim-graves-in-ukraine/
[2] Personal correspondence.
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